1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to artist's easels, and more particularly to an easel including slidable inner and outer frames extensibly engaged with two upright masts of an easel carriage where a wide range of canvas sizes may be accommodated and the placement or repositioning of a canvas at an elevation ranging from floor level to a level near the inner frame's full extension point may readily be achieved by selectively positioning the extensible inner and outer frames with respect to each other and to the upright masts and by adjusting the position of canvas supports on the inner and outer frames.
2. Description of the Related Art
Artist's easels support a canvas or other workpiece to facilitate the creation of paintings. To hold a particular canvas in place, easels generally incorporate top and bottom canvas supports on a frame or base.
To provide mobility and accommodate a range of canvas sizes, a wheeled easel may be provided having a barrel which telescopes or extends from a fixed stem supported by a wheeled base. An upper support is fixed non-adjustably to the telescoping barrel and a lower support slides along the stationary mast and is fixed in position by a clamp. An example of such an easel is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,925,147. In that device, however, the highest elevation to which the canvas may be positioned is limited by the lower support which has a range of movement extending only to the end of the stem.
That easel also does not incorporate an adjustable top canvas support, much less an adjustable top support having a range of movement essentially extending from floor level to the end of the telescoping barrel. That easel further does not incorporate a second extensible frame to accommodate and permit ready repositioning of canvas sizes ranging from miniatures to murals at a full range of elevations.
Another type of easel provides a single sliding frame within a frame piece where a canvas is set on a box secured to the sliding frame. The canvas is fastened in position on the sliding frame by a crosspiece slidably mounted to the sliding frame. An example of such a device is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 396,362. In that device, however, the upper crosspiece is not mounted to an inner extensible frame engaged within an outer extensible frame. Consequently, the upper crosspiece is not capable of extending beyond the single sliding frame's highest elevation. The maximum canvas size which can be accommodated by that particular easel is thereby limited by the length of the sliding frame. Additionally, the workpiece mounts to the box secured to the sliding frame. Consequently, the elevation of the bottom edge of the workpiece cannot extend higher than the stationary frame.
It therefore is desirable to provide an easel which has two extensible slidable frames, where both may be used in tandem or one may be used independent of the other, to mount a wide variety of canvas sizes ranging from miniatures to large murals.
To allow use by persons of different stature and to permit a particular section of a canvas being painted to be positioned at a desired level, it also is desirable to provide an easel which permits positioning the canvas at an elevation ranging from a low point near floor level to a high point on the inner frame when the extensible frames are at their farthest extension.
It is further desirable for one person to be able to adjust the elevation of the canvas with a minimal amount of effort, especially for large canvasses, and without having to adjust clamps.
In addition, it is desirable that the easel can be tilted either forward to circumvent glare or backward for placement of massive canvasses, that the easel have a mobile carriage, and that the easel can accommodate large canvasses without unduly increasing the overall size and weight of the easel.